Mother, Baby Detained In Ondo Hospital Over Unpaid Medical Bill

A middle aged mother, Taiwo Omotoso and her new-born baby are currently being detained at the Mother and Child Hospital in Akure, Ondo state capital, over an unpaid medical bill of N40,000.

The woman was delivered of the baby through a cesarean session (CS) on November 16, 2017.

Father of the baby, Oladapo Omotoso, on Monday told INDEPENDENT that his wife had been detained in the hospital for 20 days because of his inability to offset the medical bill given to him.

Omotoso, a 33-year-old commercial motorcyclist popularly known as Okada rider, said her new-born baby and wife had been made to sleep on a chair in the hospital since November 16.

Narrating his ordeal, he said: “On the 16th of November, I rushed my wife to the hospital. On getting there, they asked me to make some payments before they could proceed on any operation.

“I told them I didn’t have much on me. They gave me an emergency form to fill so that they would be able to take care of her just to save the life of the mother and the baby first.

“They did the operation successfully. The following day, which was 17th, I was called to buy some drugs. I told them I could not get money to buy those drugs.

“They said I should take the emergency form which I had already filled the day I came to the hospital to the pharmacy so that I could use the form to buy those necessary drugs for my wife. They discharged her four days after.

“On the 21st, they asked her to sit on a chair because they had already discharged her so as to create enough space for other people to come in.

“I said I will go and look for money. I went out but I could not get any money. I came back to the hospital and I started begging.

“I went to the CMD who said if he had to waive everything, he could not waive the CS pack. He said the CS pack did not belong to the hospital but some companies that supplied it to the hospital.

“He said he will waive the hospital bill which was within his capacity, the bed fees and the items which they used for normal delivery. The total money waived for me is N15,000.

He added: “However, they said I will need blood clearance. On the 28th, I could not raise the money. I went to Ministry of Women Affairs for financial assistance. But they declined to help me.

“I went back to the hospital. The Welfare officer told me to pay for the CS pack and the blood clearance. Five days ago, I paid in N15,000 out of the money for the CS pack. Yesterday (Sunday), I paid the balance of N5,000 making N20,000.

“After the payment, I went to the Welfare Officer who said he had helped me enough that I should go to the Lab for blood clearance. It was after I donated blood that the people in the Lab said I owed them. I said how much? They said N6,500.

“The total amount they expect me to pay is N40, 000. I have paid N20,000. I paid the money 15 days after delivery. They are now expecting me to pay the Lab fee which is N6,500 before my wife can be released.”

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Adesina Akintan, confirmed the incident and said the hospital decided to carry out the CS almost immediately the woman was brought to the hospital when they realised her husband was having challenges.

Akintan said the hospital had to detain the mother and her daughter because of the inability of the family to pay for the operation after waiving some fees.

The CMD, who explained that the hospital could no longer afford to provide free services, disclosed that the hospital owes its contractors over N26 million for the supply of drugs and other items required for operation in the hospital.